Egghead!
by A Ship of Epic Proportions
Summary: Oh dear, what's this? The bookworm, and the athlete. What is happening? One's in denial, the other...well, you may wanna read.  Rated T for later themes, that will be inserted but are currently not in it yet.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author- There IS an update. Check the bottom. This allows me to bridge to the next chapter.**_

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><p><em>Scratch, scratch<em>.  
><em>Scribble,scribble<em>.  
><em>Foosh<em>!  
><em>Creeeeeeaaaaaaaak<em>!  
><em>SMASH, BOOM, BANG<em>!  
>"Oh dear, oh dear!"<p>

Twilight Sparkle gazed in dismay at the mess that now lay beside her.  
>Being a unicorn of many spells, and a pony of inquisition there was still much she had to learn.<br>Of course, with magic, you had to take necessary precautions, as she had. However, she'd neglected to remember the shelf of precious china plates imported from Canterlot just last week, and now they had crashed down to the floor, shattering into tiny shards.

She rolled her eyes in annoyance, carefully levitating the pieces back together. She set back the re-assembled plates next to her, and carefully re-hung the shelf. She neatly placed the plates back onto the shelf, and sighed.  
><em>Another magic spell gone AWOL<em>, she thought.  
><em>I might even think about going to that new fancy spa that opened up...it's expensive, but the wonders of physical therapy, that's what I could use right now.<em>  
>But then she chuckled. Her, going to a spa? The day that happened, parasprites would consume all of Ponyville in one bite.<p>

Her train of thought, which had long since derailed, was interrupted again by a loud crash, and a cerulean blur.  
>Quickly, the blur repeated itself, and the slam repeated itself also, and Twilight realized it was her door.<br>The blur ceased to move, and Twilight realized it was Rainbow Dash, who was panting, and leaning back against the door.

"Rainbow, what's-"

She was interrupted by a banging on the door, which nearly shot Dash forward.

"Ugh, no time to explain, just help me hold this door!" Rainbow exclaimed.

Now that her friend was relatively still, she could tell that yet another bizarre stunt of hers had probably gone wrong.  
>Right now, she was straining to hold the door shut, muscles packed to the breaking point. Water dripped from her colorful mane and sleek body onto the floor almost constantly, creating a rapid 'drumming' sound.<br>Soon enough, the banging ceased. Rainbow kept holding the door for a few seconds, and then peeked out.

"Whew, It's safe."

She turned back to Twilight.

"So, egghead, what's up?"

Twilight huffed. She hated her nickname, no matter how accurately named.  
>Well, not necessarily hated. She kind of liked it at times, though she hadn't the faintest idea why. Probably because it fit her so well.<p>

"I'll have you know that I'm working on a new spell, though it's going a little AWOL..."

"Yeah yeah, that's nice. Does it involve helping yourself be less...weak?"

Twilight rolled her eyes at this comment.

"Rainbow, we both know that I can already beat you in racing, so what's a contest of strength to me?"

Rainbow smiled mischievously, this was going to be fun for her.  
>"Is that a challenge?"<p>

"Was that a question?"

"...huh?"

"I meant yes."

"Oh, right..."

* * *

><p>The two now stood in a largely familiar spot, it was where Applejack and Rainbow had done tug of war, the last event in the Iron Pony competition before Applejack demanded that Rainbow Dash shouldn't use her wings.<br>The two now stood on opposite sides of the mud pit, ready to begin.  
>Rainbow was doing a bunch of stretching, but it was mostly for show. What she planned to do was make Twilight think she was winning, then <em>BANG<em>!, into the mud she would go.  
>Rainbow picked up the rope in her teeth.<p>

"Ready?" she mumbled around the coarse length of rope on her side.

Twilight awkwardly fumbled with her end, eventually grasping it between her two front hooves.

"I guess..."

"_Readysetgo_!" Rainbow shouted, tugging back with barely half her force.

Twilight jerked forward, but then dug her rear hooves into the ground for purchase, and her position held.  
>Twilight slowly began to inch backwards, pulling Dash ever closer to the mud, but in reality, it was because now Dash was barely doing anything at all.<p>

After Dash was about millimeters from the pit, she thought, 'OK, close enough.'

She tugged back with about 75% of her might, sending Twilight careening towards the mud pit.

However, something unexpected happened.

Twilight's stance changed, and next thing Rainbow knew, she found herself nearly toppling face first into the mud pit herself.

"Woah!" she managed to shout, and quickly extended her wings.

She quickly began to flap them, and kept herself from falling in. She now pulled back, not giving any slack for Twilight.  
>However, a purple glow now emanated from Twilight s horn, and it now covered the rope.<p>

"You use your talent, I use mine!" Twilight exclaimed triumphantly.

"Ugh, Twi'...is fere sumfing you aren't telling me?" Rainbow asked around the rope in her mouth, which she smartly thought to switch to her hooves, else her teeth get yanked out.

Twilight sat down, tapping her head with a hoof, still pulling the rope with her magic.

"Hmmm, yes, multiple things. Why?"

"It's just that...when the hay did you get so strong?"

She inquired, giving a very hard tug on the rope.

"Well, I do study how body physics work, so it's more of strategy than strength."

Now, however, Rainbow was pulling out all the stops.

"Oh, this is _**it**_! I'm not losing to an _egghead_!"

Twilight suddenly stopped pulling on the rope with her magic.

'_There it is again! Every time she calls me egghead, I feel...funny! I'm not angry, it's just a playful nickname! Am I hiding something from myself?'_

However, as a result of her ceasing pulling on the rope, Rainbow was able to yank the rope all the way back without any resistance.  
>Twilight was yanked forward, too, due to the invisible bond that links an object that a unicorn is holding, and the unicorn themselves. She landed with a tremendous splat, mud flying into the air in all directions, coating both her, and her aviantastic friend.<p>

Rainbow ignored it for the moment, however.

"HAHA, you should have seen the look on your face when you fell in! Priceless! " Dash exclaimed, taking gasps of air every now and then.

Twilight suddenly recognized the feeling; she'd read about it, she knew it very well. She'd read it in a book when she was nothing but a tiny foal.  
>'It's a very natural feeling,' she recalled reading. 'To feel "weird" when in the company of somepony you appreciate very much. This is only normal, and there's nothing to be worried or scared about.'<p>

Once Dash's laughing spree ended, her face took on a serious tone.

"There is definitely something you haven't told me. Spit it out, now."

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><p><em><strong>BAHAHA, I had you going! Cliffhanger!<strong>_

_**Stay tuned! :D**_


	2. Chapter 2

Twilight was thrown off a bit by Dash's abrupt emotional change, but she pulled herself together.  
>"Well, Dash, as you may already know, certain goals can drive you to become better." Twilight remarked, as she stepped out of the cold, brown puddle.<p>

"Yeah, but what are your goals?" Dash questioned, hovering over Twilight.

Twilight's eyes dilated, and she hesitated to answer.

"...well... why do you want to know?"

"Because you know what my goals are, so I figure that I should know yours."

"Well, I only know what your goals are because you're always talking about them." Twilight replied with a hint of wit, as she started to walk towards Ponyville.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get this mud out of my mane before it dries up."

Rainbow watched as the lavender figure of Twilight slowly receded from view.

'...what the hay just happened?' she asked herself.

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><p>The next day, Twilight awoke to a rather painful sensation.<br>Her head throbbed and ached, and she could hardly even put a thought together. She could feel her heart thumping harder than usual, and her sinuses were blocked up. Her mouth was dry, and she knew very well what was plaguing her.

The Common Cold.  
>The dreaded disease that absolutely nopony could find an absolute cure for, and had stumped everypony for centuries. There was really no cure, except for rest, but as of today, Twilight didn't feel like resting, not a bit.<br>So, she tried to drag herself out of bed, pawing at the sides of the bed before heaving herself off and over, onto unsteady legs.  
>She almost didn't bother with her hair, but horrible as she felt, she felt that the effort required to fix that bird s nest of hair was a necessary one.<br>So, after repairing her frizzled and slightly poofy hair, she caught a glance of herself in the mirror. Tired eyes, which happened to be slightly red-rimmed, and...was that a streak of gray in her hair? She blinked rapidly, the streak seemed to disappear.

She exhaustedly shook her head, and trotted towards the stairs, almost bumping into the railing.  
>As she descended, her hooves fell heavily, the distinctive body language of a pony who was too tired to do much else. In her muddled, confused mind, she attempted to put two and two together as to what she was to do. Currently she really had nothing to do, but she preferred not to sit around, even if it was better for her health.<p>

She heard a sliding noise from underneath the door. Glancing at it, Twilight saw that a small paper square had been slid underneath her wooden door. She groggily walked over to the paper, and put it in front of her, using her magic. The cover depicted many party balloons and streamers.. she chuckled to herself. It was obvious who it was from and what it was about without even reading it, but she opened the card anyways, reading it to herself.

"You're invited to Pinkie Pie s Daring Dance Party... It'll be held in Applejack's barn on Sweet Apple Acres, there will be drinks and food and tons of fun... Held at..."

Twilight glanced over at the clock on her wall. It would be starting in only half an hour! She didn't want to show up late, even if she was feeling slightly sick.

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><p>After a long, tiring journey, Twilight nudged open the large, red wooden door, to be greeted by the sight of large amount of ponies moving to incredibly hyper music, and pulsing colorful lights.<br>Pinkie was the most noticeable of all, hopping high above all of the rest, occasionally striking a random pose in midair. Once, she even came up lounging on a chair, sipping from a glass of apple cider.

'How the-...' Twilight thought, however, she ignored it, remembering that it was Pinkie Pie. She didn't have to make sense.

She suddenly sneezed, but in doing so, her head shifted position, and it was then that she noticed an orange mare was merely sitting off to the side, virtually alone, not doing anything.  
>Twilight sniffled, that was generally her area of a party, whether she felt good or not, though occasionally she would venture into the hustle and bustle of the dance floor.<p>

As she fought her way to the center of the dance floor, she found that it was hard to keep up with everyone else. She tried to just enjoy herself, but at the same time, she was stepping on her own hooves, not to mention other ponies . The colorful flashing lights made the room appear to be spinning. She stopped in her tracks, and covered her eyes with a forehoof.

'Ugh, maybe I should sit out too.' She thought.

She uncovered her eyes, which renewed the rapid moving colors in her vision.  
>Twilight looked around, trying to find that lonely mare she saw at the entrance, but the fast paced ponies blocked most of her vision. She shoved her way through the crowd, eventually making it to the small gap between the partying ponies and the walls of the barn.<p>

Twilight trotted over to the orange figure in the distance. In Twilight's clouded mind, the trip seemed to take hours, but it took no more than a few seconds. She was soon greeted by a familiar face; It was Applejack.

"Oh, hey there sugercube." The orange mare spoke up.

"Hi... Applejack. I just came over here to see what you were doing." Twilight drawled, squinting her eyes every now and then.

"Twi', you... OK? Ya' seem...different."

Twilight looked at her friend in confusion as if she was talking in a different language.

"Wha- who me? No, I'm fine. What's wrong with you? Why aren't you out there dancing with the others?" Twilight questioned, collapsing onto the ground in her efforts to sit.

"Well to tell ya' tha' truth, I ain't the dancing type." Applejack said, glancing over to her distant friend, who was studying the colorful moving lights.  
>"Ya' sure ya' okay, sugercube? Yer actin a bit strange."<p>

"Oh,that..." Twilight hesitated. "I think I'm sick. I woke up feeling absolutely horrid."

Applejack studied her lavender friend. She noted that Twilight had bags under her eyes, and a strand of gray hair coming from her scalp.

"Sugercube, have ya' been haven problems lately? Maybe _stress-caused_ problems?"

Twilight stared blankly at Applejack for awhile.

"Umm... I don t recall anything."

"Are ya' sure bout that? I saw you and Dash doing something yesterday. Did she tell you something that upset you? Applejack sternly questioned."

Twilight hesitated again. "Well... actually, it's really something I wanted to tell her..."

"Ya' mean, like a personal problem? You can always tell me. I won't tell nopony."

Twilight placed a hoof on the side of her forehead.  
>"I honestly think I probably should have said this sooner...it's been going on for a while, and now it's finally caught up with me."<p>

On the other side of the dim barn, Pinkie Pie could be heard shouting PARTY! at the top of her lungs, before taking a sing of sarsaparilla.

"Hang on Twi', ah can't hear ya'. How's 'bout we go outside?"

"Sure, I guess..." Twilight replied, trudging after the slightly worried mare.

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><p>After they got outside, and shut the door, the heavy bass still almost shook the barn, but the clamoring had died down, and now the two could talk without interruption, and without eavesdroppers.<p>

"OK, so what's up, now?"

Twilight took a deep breath.  
>"I...I'm feeling kind of conflicted at the moment. Like, I...I just can't decide."<p>

"Decide on what?"

Twilight felt as if a bunch of tiny spiders were skittering around in her stomach, but she took the plunge. If only to relieve this...horrible, crushing, heartbreaking stress.

"About whether or not to admit that...that...oh hay, even I can hardly describe it."

A slight hesitation as she pondered how to put it into words.

"I'm not even sure if this is going to come out right...but I'm just...oh, toss the lengthy, over-complicated smarty-pants explanation! I love Rainbow Dash, but I don't know how to tell her!" she finished, voice nearly escalating into a frustrated shout.

Applejack was surprised, naturally, but she showed no sign of it.  
>Instead, she gently asked,<p>

"When did this all start, Twi'?"

Twilight's manner was downcast, one of a pony who knew not what to do. However, she knew that explaining to somepony may help;admitting it by itself hadn't helped one bit.

"Well...when me and Spike arrived in Ponyville, I honestly didn't know what to expect. And when she crashed into me, frankly, she came off as extremely rude. I intended not to have anything to do with such a pony, as was true with the rest of you. As we got drawn together by the sequence of events, however, I couldn't help but feel myself growing attached to her. I have absolutely no deduction of when it happened, but somewhere along the way, we crossed the friend barrier. Her pursuits of dreams, her definite tenacity, her feisty composition...her lofty ego, all of those things do nothing more but make me appreciate her even more. Her cries of 'egghead!' leave behind the strangest feeling I've ever felt...I can only describe it as love."

Applejack found it quite hard to remain composed now, she was tempted to keep asking questions, but she refrained from doing so.  
>Instead, she laid a comforting hoof around her friend's shoulders.<p>

"Now, Twi'...I can understand such a feeling. My great-great-great granny used to feel the same way. Ah'm afraid that ah really can't tell you anythin' else, I honestly can't...but you go ahead and do what you think is right."

Twilight nearly ripped her own hair out while tugging on it.

"That's the entire problem!" she nearly shouted.  
>"I desperately want to say something, but I'm entirely unsure of her reaction! Being the lummox that I am, I'll probably blow it all to smither-"<p>

Applejack stopped her friend with a stern, but caring glance.  
>"Twi', just do what ya' feel is right. Don't think, feel."<p>

Twilight's brain felt like it was going to collapse into itself, but her heart yearned to release its feelings, ached for companionship, desired a better being.  
>Twilight lowered her head, and turned to go, but glanced back at Applejack. Applejack looked into her friend's emotion filled eyes, and saw the words "Thank you." form silently on her lips, before she turned, and ran off, with a speed that anypony she knew wouldn't associate with her.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

_**Mister Author here.**_

_**I am so, so sorry for bumping this piece of god damn shit up the ranks, but I must inform you, the reader-**_

_**This is dead. OK? Dead.**_

_**It was a huge learning experience, and it's over. Thank you-you taught me what I did wrong, and now I know what to work on.**_

_**-In-character Dialogue.**_

_**-Must make bigger chapters.**_

_**-And, whether a review said so or not, I also need to work on description.**_

_**You may continue this-in fact,**__**please do so. Time, and excellent concepts flood my head.**_

_**I have 3 unpolished chapters of my next story already written out; I will churn them out ASAP. Watch me, or don't. Up to you.**_

_**Oh, if you take my offer, please notify me! I'd love to see what you do with it!  
><strong>_

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><p>In the midst of Applejack cleaning up the aftermath of the party, Rainbow flew in, a disappointed groan coming from her lips.<p>

"Aw man, I missed it? Great, that's what I get for taking a mid-afternoon nap!"

Applejack chuckled.  
>"The late bird don't get no worm!" she exclaimed, smiling.<p>

"Yeah...hey, have you noticed anything...'off' about Twilight?"Dash asked.

Applejack pretended that she didn't know anything.  
>"Hmmm...what do you mean?"<p>

"Well, after I woop her at tug of war, I simply ask what her goals are, she backlashes it onto me, and runs off! That isn't even like her!"

Applejack tapped her head.

"I dunno. Seems like her, sorta'. Sure it isn't you?"

Rainbow glanced around, before saying hesitantly, "I'm...I'm not sure. I haven't been myself around her lately. Probably is me."

A short pause.

"Can you...can you keep a secret?" she asked, almost as shy as Fluttershy.

"Well sur' I can! What's on your mind?"

Rainbow's voice descended into a whisper as she leaned closer.  
>Applejack began to speak up, but was hushed by Dash. Applejack began again in a whisper, and Dash nodded, and whispered something else.<br>After a few seconds, Applejack nodded again, and Dash flew off, as if nothing had happened.

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><p>Twilight just got home, and was greeted by Spike, who then became confused when she quickly dismissed him.<br>Twilight walked up the stairs, only to hear Spike speak up,

"Twilight! You've got a letter, though why they delivered it that way puzzles me!"

Twilight groaned, but then walked downstairs. Sure enough, another envelope lay on the floor, but this time it was plain white.  
>She carefully opened it, extracting a white piece of stationary, with a wavy pink border. It was from Fluttershy.<p>

"Dear Twilight,  
>Could you please...stop by Applejack's barn? I need your help, but...it's fine if you don't want to come.<br>-Fluttershy."

Twilight groaned. "Spike, I'm leaving again. Don't touch the potion set again!" she added as an aside.  
>"Fine..." Spike grumbled as Twilight walked out the door.<p>

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><p>Rainbow arrived home to her cloud house, empty as always. The sun hung halfway down in the sky, but it retained its blue color. She hopped onto a small cloud ledge inside, when a letter slid in, coming to a halt in front of her.<br>"Ugh, really?" she asked to herself.  
>She picked it up, tearing it open quickly. "Rainbow darling,<br>I have something I absolutely must show you! Applejack has kindly agreed to let me use her barn to showcase it, and I'd love it if you came!  
>-Rarity."<p>

Rainbow glanced at the sun in the sky, she had about 2 hours to kill. And thus, she took off towards the direction of Sweet Apple Acres, for the second time that night.

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><p>Twilight arrived yet again at the small barn, and carefully nudged the door open.<br>She was greeted by a most surprising sight, it was empty.  
>Well, not exactly. The walls of the barn were lined with red, white and pink streamers. For each wooden stud, 5 balloons occupied a space in front of them. The floor was neatly swept, and the haystacks were pushed to the side in a neat orderly fashion. There was a small, circular table in the middle, with a plain white table cloth set over it. Two classy golden chairs, with red cushions, rested on opposite sides. Candles adorned the other two sides that weren't taken by the chairs.<p>

"Wait a second..." she mumbled.  
>The candles, oddly enough, were still lit. She now also noticed that there were two plates, upon which sat a few various items, which she didn't bother analyzing at the moment.<p>

"It looks as if somepony's supposed to be here...and where's Fluttershy?"  
>Her thinking was interrupted by the sound of a pegasus landing, and then the click-clack of hoofsteps.<br>She turned around, and spotted Rainbow, who wore a "not again..." expression, which quickly changed when she assessed the situation.

"...where's Rarity?" she asked eventually.

Twilight was confused. "Rarity? I got a letter from Fluttershy asking me to help her with something."

Rainbow then peeked past Twilight, noting the table.

"What's this all about?" she asked, voice deepening very slightly in suspicion.

Twilight suddenly had a spark of inspiration.  
>We're both here, the table is set for two, candles, no sign of anypony...<p>

She knew very well what was going on.

"Dash, I think I need to tell you something...come on, have a seat."

The two sat down, and Rainbow sat awkwardly as she realized what this looked like, but then Twilight spoke.

"I can't think of a better time to say this, seeing as it looks to be set up..."

She knew that it was time, it just felt right.  
>With that, she repeated the speech she'd given Applejack, about how she felt. She was met by a stunned face, but she didn't look deep enough into her friend's eyes to see the emotion that laid there.<br>She was met by silence, and then Dash got up, turned towards the door, and walked towards it.

"Wha-...aren't you going to say anything?"

Rainbow glanced back.  
>"Yeah, I...you're awesome, smart...I can say that I love you, too."<p>

Twilight couldn't help but feel a relieved smile creep onto her face. She got up from her seat, and rushed towards Dash, tightly embracing her. But then she heard something barely inaudible.

"I'm sorry, what'd you say?" she asked.  
>The sound repeated itself, and Twilight could make out a very soft, "You're the only..."<p>

"What?" she asked.

Rainbow pushed her back, shouting, "I said you're the only one who cares!"  
>Twilight was hurt, but then noticed the tears in her friend's eyes.<p>

"What do you mean?"

"You...you're the only one who actually cares, at all...about me.  
>Nopony's ever done that..."<p>

"...What about-"

"They don't really care!" Rainbow burst out. "Nopony does! The only ones who do are dead, OK? Dead!" She now collapsed to the ground, hooves over her head, as heavy sobs racked her body.  
>"Nopony ever has cared about me!" she eventually managed. "I'm just 'that lonely old orphan mare', they don't give two flying haystacks about me!"<br>She looked at Twilight. "At least you have parents! Consider yourself lucky!"

Twilight was entirely taken aback.  
>"I thought you did!"<p>

"No, I don't! When I was 2, my...my parents left me, just abandoned me. Even they didn't care. The only ones who cared were my grandparents, but they were way off. All I could do was fend for myself, hoping one day to be a normal pony. Closest I ever got was joining the weather squad, but still nopony cares about me. Every day, every day, I have to put on a tough exterior, and act like it doesn't bother me.  
>You actually care, you love me for who I am, you help me when I need it."<br>She looked her in the eye.  
>"Twilight, you're the best thing to happen to me. I-"<p>

Twilight couldn't help but feel like she had to do something, anything, before either her friend lost her composure pouring her feelings out, or before her heart broke of sadness.  
>She did the one thing that she never thought she would do.<br>She moved forward, and kissed her friend, embracing her tightly, as if she would float away. Rainbow returned the gesture, she felt relieved that she had to say nothing more, that Twilight understood.  
>After a few long seconds, or minutes, though neither of them knew, the two broke away, and Twilight blushed deeply.<br>She began stammering an apology, when she heard a light sneeze from above. She looked up, moment of passion forgotten, to find Pinkie sitting on the rafters.

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><p><em><strong>Yup, another cliffhanger. Don't ya' love them?<strong>_

_**So review, review, review, and please, point out every nit-picky flaw there is. I'd appreciate it.**_


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